2017 East Bay Drive NE
Olympia, WA
98506
URGENT: Community News Story:
Oyster Planting Volunteers and Shoreline Property Owners Needed for 18th Annual Olympia Oyster Seed Planting in September and October
For the news media who might like to do an interesting story, we have organized dates here in Budd Inlet on Tuesday, 26 September, Thursday, 28 September, and Friday, 29 September. On those days we will have groups of Volunteers (70 volunteers during September) who are counting Oyster Seeds, filling Oyster Grow bags, and planting them on the beach here in Budd Inlet. These would be great opportunities for news stories, photos, videos, and interviews. Lots of action and lots of volunteers. By the way in case of rain, we have two large dry out buildings with plenty of large widows and skylight: one is 27 feet by 14 feet and another is 20 feet by 14 feet, so very large and spacious and dry. These are just 30 seconds walk from the beach where we plant the oysters, so a great location in any weather!
As you may know, one oyster can filter 50 gallons of Puget Sound salt water each day, so they are natural low-cost very effective sea animals for environmental cleanup. All summer long we have had good turnout for our volunteer oyster planting, together with Rotary Club, Stream Team, City of Olympia and City of Lacey. This September and October we are looking for more volunteers to assist with Oyster planting in Thurston County’s bays, including Budd Inlet, Eld, Boston Harbor, Dana Passage, Henderson Inlet, Johnson Point and Nisqually Reach. We are also looking for shoreline property owners who want to plant oysters on their beaches.
Oyster Planting Volunteers and also Shoreline Property Owners who want to plant their beaches can get in touch with Dan Mazur, at danleemazur@gmail.com at 360-250-3407.
This year we are planting two types of Oysters, firstly the big Pacific Oysters which can grow to 8 inches in length and filter up to 50 gallons of Puget Sound each day; secondly, this year we are planting the native Olympia Oyster, which used to grow around Olympia in abundance and all of the way down the Pacific Coast from Canada to Mexico but were nearly wiped out by overharvesting. Now we are putting them back here in Thurston County’s South Puget Sound, in cooperation with Taylor Shellfish, and the State of Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
If you want to check out our Olympia Oyster Seed Planting location, the address here in Olympia’s Budd Inlet is 2017 East Bay Drive NE, Olympia, WA, 98506.
For those volunteers who would like to come over here and get involved in oyster planting, we will be preparing the oysters daily, so they can get in touch so we can arrange the best time for oyster grow bag preparation and oyster planting each day.
Oyster Planting Volunteers can please get in touch with Dan Mazur, at the Olympia Oyster Seed Planting Project at danleemazur@gmail.com at 360-250-3407.
For those Shoreline owners who would like our Olympia Oyster Seed Planting Project volunteers to come over and plant oysters on their beaches, please get in touch and we can do it this September and October.
Shoreline Property Owners who want to plant their beaches can please get in touch with Dan Mazur, at the Olympia Oyster Seed Planting Project at danleemazur@gmail.com at 360-250-3407.
By the way, please check out our facebook page at www.facebook.com/OlympiaOysterSeedPlantingProject . Thank you very much!!!
Thank you very much for telling the story of our community project!!
Please find attached a few photos from last weeks oyster planting. We are all looking forward to next weeks oyster planting too!
